The Awakening
by Chloe Watton
Summary: When the Other Side collapses, Bonnie and Damon find that they've been unwillingly sent to the past. Finding himself back in 1864, Damon reluctantly agrees to help protect the vampires of Mystic Falls from Jonathan Gilbert's crazy inventions, while trying to stay hidden from the shadows of his past in the process. Set at the end of season 5.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Set at the end of season 5 when the Other Side collapses. So... I know this is a bit far-fetched, but I've wanted to write something like this for a while. As always, I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave your thoughts below :)**

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The wind blew wildly around them, the cold air cutting across Bonnie's cheek like a knife. She clenched her teeth, her hands balled into fists at her sides. She'd known that this would be her fate; she was the anchor, death was unequivocal. If the other side collapsed, she would go down with it. But Bonnie's regrets plagued her with an undeniable feeling of guilt. _It was her fault that Damon's here. He should be living his life with Elena._

"Do you think it will hurt?" The voice was strained, fearsome. Bonnie was shocked to find that it was her own.

Damon's brows drew together. He hadn't thought of that.

"I don't kno—"

A flash of light engulfed them, swallowing their surroundings into oblivion. Damon braced himself for the pain; for anything. He grasped Bonnie's hand, squeezing it softly in reassurance. She didn't deserve this. Bonnie had always put other people's needs before her own, doing what was best for her friends and family, often forgetting about herself in the process.

After a few moments of silent hesitation, Damon opened one eye, his curiosity getting the better of him. The light was fading, creating new shadows and dark patches around him. Eyes glimmered from tree hollows. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly scent of wood rot. Damon, who's nose was now wrinkled in disgust, prodded Bonnie sharply in the ribs.

"Ow!" she yelped, her eyes opening suddenly. She glanced around warily, a frown creasing her forehead. "Where are we?"

Damon shrugged, tugging carelessly at a nearby branch. "I don't know, Bon Bon."

Bonnie looked at Damon questioningly. "Maybe Grams sent us here."

Damon raised an eyebrow at the Bennett witch. He couldn't think of a single reason why Sheila Bennett would willingly save _him_ of all people. She'd made it clear that vampires were no friend of hers.

Damon snorted. "Well wherever 'here' is, it sucks," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"You're not the only one stuck here, you know," Bonnie grumbled. She gave him a pointed look. "We need to find out where we are."

"Ok," Damon huffed in agreement. "Where do we look first?"

Bonnie shrugged. "You're the vampire, you figure it out."

Damon shook his head. "Well isn't that—"

Damon stiffened. His head snapped up, the veins beneath his eyes growing more pronounced. His lips parted as his fangs began to unsheathe, protruding from his gums like daggers. Bonnie winced at the predatory grin that spread widely across his face.

"Damon…" Bonnie warned, her voice dangerously quiet. Damon placed a finger to his lips.

"Who are you?" he called, his voice loud and clear.

Silence stretched between them. Just as Bonnie was beginning to question Damon's sanity, a young girl, not much older than herself stepped out from behind the trunk of a beaten tree. Her bonnet covered the majority of her face, and it wasn't until she looked up to meet their cautious gazes that Bonnie recognised the face that had haunted her a few short years ago. The girl cleared her throat. "I'm Emily Bennett. I've been expecting you."


	2. Chapter 2

Emily stepped into the clearing, her hands idly tugging up her dress as she walked. She stopped a few feet in front of them, her eyes meeting Bonnie's for the briefest of instants before she looked away. "Hello, Bonnie."

Bonnie raised a brow and instinctively took a step backwards. "How do you know my name?" Her voice was sharper than she'd intended, but Emily either hadn't noticed or didn't care. Bonnie guessed that it was probably a bit of both.

"I will answer your questions, but you must come with me. We cannot talk freely here."

Damon snorted, taking a predatory step towards the witch. "Or I could just kill you." His fangs began to lengthen as the veins beneath his eyes grew more pronounced.

Emily raised a brow. "I can help you, Damon." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and took another step closer to the vampire. "Everything will go back to the way it was before, but only if you'll accept my help." Her voice was calm, but Damon could see the desperation in her eyes. He wondered what a powerful witch like Emily Bennet could need his help for. What could he possibly help her with that she couldn't do herself?

"What's the catch?" Bonnie shook her head. "What do you want, Emily?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but Bonnie could see through her attempts at trying to hide it. "I made the mistake of using magic to turn Jonathan Gilbert's inventions into dangerous weapons to be used against vampires."

Damon nodded. "And? You did that last time."

Emily frowned, her lips pressing together into a line. "Katherine wants me to change the spell so that the inventions can be used on the founding families instead. She wants them all dead, Damon, including you."

Damon swore under his breath. "That bitch!" His brow furrowed as he met her gaze. "Hang on a second. If I die, that means-"

Emily cut him off. "Yes. If your past-self dies, you will cease to exist. Katherine wants to use Jonathan's inventions as weapons against humanity. The whole of Mystic Falls needs your help, Damon."

Bonnie frowned, shaking her head. "But… that's impossible. If anybody sees him…"

Emily nodded. "I already took care of that. While you are here, you will take the place of your past self. You must hide your true nature from those around you, Damon, because if they find out what you truly are, they will kill you."

Damon narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Why should I save them?" he countered, raising a brow. He'd never liked any of them, anyway. "I'm not doing it."

"To save yourself you must save them all."

"No way." Damon turned away from her then and walked further into the trees before stopping. He didn't turn around to look at her as he said, "come on, Bon Bon. We're going home."

Bonnie took a deep breath and, giving Emily a small, apologetic smile, she turned and hurried after Damon, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders. Emily made no move to stop them as they continued walking, and Damon began to wonder just what she was really up to. He got his answer soon after when an invisible barrier hit him in the face, preventing him from going any further. He banged on the barrier with his fists, but it held strong.

Sighing, he turned around to face the witch. "Fine, you win. If I help you save the vampires and whatever, do you promise to send me and Bonnie back home?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. I give you my word."

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Damon stared at his reflection in the mirror, a mixture of horror and nostalgia evident in his expression. As he tucked his shirt into his pants and slipped on the uncomfortable leather shoes he'd grown to hate, he sighed, sitting on the edge of the large bed that occupied most of the room.

He didn't know why Emily needed his help specifically, or why she'd brought Bonnie back to his own personal hell, either. He tried not to think about how long he would be stuck here, trying to reassure himself that he would see Elena sooner, rather than later.

Swallowing back his pride, he stood up, taking a final glance at his reflection before heading towards the door.

He could hear Bonnie in the next room arguing with Emily in hushed whispers.

 _"_ _I'm not wearing that!"_

 _"_ _You must, Bonnie. We have no other options."_

 _"_ _But I don't want – Ow, that hurts! How the hell am I supposed to breathe in this thing?"_

Chuckling to himself, Damon took a seat at the old, wooden table as he waited for Bonnie to finish getting ready. As an image of the witch in nineteenth-century attire flashed through his mind, he forced himself to supress his laughter. He was never going to let her forget this…

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 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I know you may be wondering... is this a Bamon story? Well, no it isn't.**

 **Who will Damon end up with? Let's just say that Elena will make an appearance sooner rather than later... As for the reason why - you'll have to read to find out!**

 **As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave your thoughts down below :)**


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